Study Resources to crack CAT

Are the CAT aspirants who go for coaching the only representatives of the CAT takers? No. If you reach out, you will find several aspirants, who are preparing for CAT all by themselves! They are a bunch of confident and dedicated people who have enough faith in themselves to fulfill the dream of cracking CAT exam, which is dreaded by many, even by them, who go for MBA coaching.

Are you amongst them, who have not joined any MBA coaching institute and are preparing by themselves? Are you feeling a bit jittery about your approach? Do you want to know what the steps are which you need to take for moving in the right way? This article will tell you the steps which you need to move successfully towards your aim of cracking CAT.

Make a time table

Since discipline is the keyword here, you need to be honest to yourself and prepare a proper time table which you feel can be maintained by you. First identify your daily activities. If you are a student, then most of the day must be spent by you in college or graduation studies and other activities. So you have to take out a time which you feel is comfortable for your CAT exam studies. Then find out the right time to study when you can prepare with full concentration. You should give equal stress to all the sections so that no particular section is hampered. Also, you should not ignore your weak sections.

Regarding the time to utilize for studying, Kedar Baxi, a 92 percentiler in CAT 2010 suggested giving at least two to three hours a day of sincere effort. This time would then increase for the last month. And in the last week or so just revise what you have learned so far, the types of questions and the variations in them.

Get the right books and preparation material

Since you are studying on your own, you need to get the right books and materials which can help you to prepare for the tough MBA exam like the CAT Exam.

The CAT preparation books which are invariably mentioned by the experts are as follows:

�High School English Grammar and Composition by Wren and Martin,

�Verbal Ability by Arun Sharma,

�How To Prepare For Quantitative Aptitude For The CAT by Arun Sharma, �Quantitative Aptitude for MBA Entrance Examinations by Abhijit Guha,

How to prepare for the Data Interpretation for CAT by TATA-McGraw Hill publications,

�The Pearson Guide to Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning for the CAT by Nishit K Sinha,

 �Reasoning and DI for MBA Exam by Arun Sharma,

 �Business English and Communication by Clark Grade C and many more.

Baxi also suggested that in the last few months solve the CAT material (books) for all sorts of questions. But there is a caveat here. You should not immerse yourself with so much of books and study materials that you feel lost and confused. In the initial stage of preparation, you can refer to many books and study materials, but when you are approaching the D Day, stick to one reliable source. As Arun Sharma, CAT guru and author of best selling CAT prep books said, Stick to one reliable source which will give you the variety of questions.

Enroll into a test series

While you study hard and prepare for CAT 2011, it is also very important to know the status of your preparation. In coaching institutes you get experts and mentors, who constantly guide you. But while you are doing self preparation for CAT 2011, it is your responsibility to check your preparation status. For that, the best idea is to join a test series of a good MBA coaching institute.

You can avail the test series by either enrolling for the test series from the top MBA coaching institutes. Or you can also take tests from the CAT coaching websites. For e.g. IMS Learning provides Test Packs for CAT Preparation and the Simulated Tests for the Correspondence students. Websites like Test Funda, TCYonline.com etc. also provides practice tests for CAT Preparation through which you can not only judge your preparation, but can also learn the correct method to solve as they provide explanatory answers as well.

Make a study group and be at par with peers

Studying in a group always helps. There is information sharing and you can always know where you stand in comparison of your peers as far as MBA preparation is concerned. If you stand a better position than them, you can help them and hence check how good you have understood the concepts. Or if you see your peers ahead of you, don’t hesitate to take their help as well. MBA aspirants who are doing self preparation for MBA Exam can learn lots of new things among their study groups. For e.g. somebody who is good in Quantitative Ability can give some tips for solving quant problems and someone good in English can offer some advice for solving Verbal Ability questions, says Amit Tandon, an IIM Ahmedabad alumnus.

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Some good books to refer while preparing for CAT

Every year, the Common Admission Test or CAT is held country wide for admissions into various MBA programmes offered by the business schools. CAT happens to be one of the toughest exams in India, with a mere 1% of candidates finally making to the reputed b-schools. Hence it is very important to study hard and read the best of CAT books to get good marks in the exam.

As you all know, the CAT exam is divided into three main sections: Quantitative Ability, Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation and Verbal Ability. Depending on these three sections, I have provided the names of 3 books a CAT aspirant needs to read.

For Quantitative Ability, you need to practice a lot of class 10 and 12 level mathematics. The best books to consult are OP Sinhal's ICSE Maths Text Book and Quantitative aptitude by RS Aggarwal. Aggarwal's book is also available online. CAT aspirants can also purchase the NCERT books of standards 9th to 12th and solve the problems from there. Since most of the students have fear for mathematics, practicing 10 and 12 levels of arithmetic, algebra, will help them to score high marks in the exam. To give up some extra boost to your CAT preparations, you can always consult Magical Book on Quicker Maths by M. Tyra.

For Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation, the best of books include, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning for the CAT by Arun Sharma. The book published by Tata McGraw-Hill offers a simple and enjoyable reading to all CAT aspirants. The book very clearly brings out the answer to the key question that many of you guys have in your mind. Many of the logical reasoning books can also be ordered online.

For understanding Verbal Ability, you can buy Wren and Marten. To practice grammar all the more, that is the use of nouns, idioms and phrases, you can purchase Thompson and Martinet's "A Practical English Grammar".

English usage and vocabulary can be further sharpened by reading "Word Power Made Easy" by Norman Lewis. Inside the book you will find about 50 exercises for solving purposes. While reading, if you don't get the meaning of some words, always consult an English dictionary as that of Oxford to understand the word.

The book named "How to Prepare for the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for the CAT" by Arun Sharma and Meenakshi Upadhyay will also greatly help the CAT aspirants to take preparations for the coming exam.

According to CAT experts, it is best for the students to read various newspapers and English magazines apart from studying the above must read books, to improve English language skills.

MBA aspirants can also go through some of the following books to get an idea on diverse topics in Management.

• Marketing Management: Knowledge and Skills - Peter and Donnelly
• Financial Management - Khan & Jain
• Mathematics for Business Studies - Dr. J. K. Thukral

The detailed information about books is provided here.

Syllabus to be covered for the CAT exam

For thousands of students in India, the admissions into the very famous and prestigious management colleges of Indian Institutes of Management is a dream come true. The standard of these institutes is equated with the best universities of the world. These institutes are in themselves the ultimate in management education with a variety of courses that can be pursued by securing good ranks in the CAT exams.

For students wishing for admissions into the IIMs need to appear in the CAT 2012 and with their percentile scores, apply for the different programs in these institutes. But first the students have to cross the hurdle of the online CAT test which is conducted through computer adaptive test held in the month of November to December every year. Although the dates of the exams are probably known tentatively to the students preparing for the CAT exams, it is the preparations that one has done has a bearing on the results.

The subjects and the topics that are required to be prepared are known to the students from the CAT 2012 syllabus which is almost the same as for the previous years. Any changes in the syllabus would be known only after the due dates are published. But, since the exam patterns are the same, the types of questions do not undergo a huge change. The syllabus includes verbal reasoning, quantitative aptitude, reading comprehension, data interpretation, and questions related to different aspects of English.

Students who are interested for cracking the CAT 2012 therefore would be required to be thorough in these topics much before the exam dates so that it helps them make an assessment of their own capabilities. Timely assessment helps in improving the weaker sections while practising the rest. The preparatory phase for the online CAT test is something that has to be practised by the students. These are tests, which are based on computer adaptive knowledge and, require the students to be able to bring in a concept of answering in a new format, rather than the old method of pen and paper.

Although this new format had an initial mixed response, but for the CAT 2012, the pattern of appearing through the online entrance is fixed up. The key to find success in the entrance exams for IIMs is to be accurate in the answers and be able to solve the maximum questions in the limited time. Although the subjects that are required to be prepared is mentioned in the CAT 2012 syllabus, students should be able to cover them and be able to answer the questions with accuracy and speed.

As the number of students is increasing every year, it is important for the aspiring candidates to prepare to their best and find a trick that suits them to crack through the exam. No doubt, the IIMs are world famous important institutes and therefore it is required that the efforts made should also be equally hard and dedicated. And the future prospects that are opened up after the exam, is another attractant for the students to start their preparations dedicatedly. 

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Books at discount- Testfunda

How to Prepare for CAT? Is that the dreaded question that keeps bugging your mind? Are you desperately waiting to get into one of the most prestigious business schools in the country? Well, the great news then is keep reading, keep performing and continue to do what you are doing and enjoy it, because unless you do so, you will not be able to give your very best.

When you need to keep reading, you need to know which books to read. For the right assistance & guidance, get your hands on a proper CAT training book or manual which is absolutely necessary. With study package for the CAT online exams, you can get guaranteed success beyond limits. These books are a result of years of research and compilation which integrates print, electronic and the online medium.

This books also include previous years question papers and model question papers. Get around 30 hours of online CAT coaching and a complete access to the online course portal, to get yourself trained at any time.

CAT is the entrance test set for management programs. The questions of which are set by the IIM. So, how to prepare for CAT? The secret potion to bell the cat is thorough and consistent performance, and a daily exercise to excel. The examination includes components like:
1. Quantitative ability
2. Data interpretation 
3. Data sufficiency
4. Logical reasoning 
5. Reading comprehension
6. Verbal ability

Recorded classes, expert tips and techniques also help you get through your exams well. Along with all of these books, you can get a free mobile application for seamless connectivity.

It's time to put on your study armor, with thorough & complete preparation.  Test funda books will also assist you to a great extent. These books include full length question papers, assessment mechanism for understanding study progress and even XLRI sample paper. Testfunda books are available at heavy discount.

The other CAT books anyone can find are the Arun Sharma Books that include full length question papers, assessment mechanism for understanding study progress and even XLRI sample paper. All these sample papers are based on the latest online pattern. There are countless books to checkout and you can compare their indexes and choose what suits you best.

So no need of purring anymore, it's time to jump and bell the CAT.

For more information about cat and testfunda books click here.

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Common Admission Test 2011

One of the main advantages which the CAT 2011 takers are getting is the facility to take practice tests, which allows them to get well acquainted with the pattern and the navigation.

Unlike last year, this year the CAT2011 website has launched the CAT 2011 practice test coinciding with the official announcement. With the update of the CAT 2011 website, the IIMs have updated the Practice Test as well, which is based on the new CAT pattern.

The test comprises of two sections, a tutorial providing an overview of the CAT user interface and the practice test gives the ability to interact with the CAT well ahead of the exam day. It is advised to go through the tutorial first before you start taking the test.

The duration of the tutorial is 15 minutes. It starts with guiding you with the usage of the mouse, accepting the Candidate Agreement, which says, "I have read and agree to the terms of the above statement". Following is the page bearing the Candidate Agreement.

The next page tells you about the Navigation of the test. It says that you can use the mouse to move through the test one question at a time. Buttons appear at the bottom of the screen.

Next is about marking the questions for review. The tutorial describes this feature as, "If you are unsure of your answer, you can MARK the questions for review if time permits.

To UNMARK the question, you have to click on the click on the UNMARK button. This button will only appear at the bottom of your screen if you have marked a question. You can also leave a question unanswered. Marked and incomplete questions will appear in the Review Questions screen before you exit the test.

You can also highlight the text of the question through the Highlighting Text option. The tutorial describes the process to highlight the text. This feature will be useful to you in the Reading Comprehension and Logical Reasoning questions.

The Section Navigation section which is a new feature in the CAT 2011 exam tells you that there will be two sections, Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation and Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning. These sections will be timed. You will have 70 minutes to answer 30 questions.

Within each section you will be allowed to change or delete an answer, Mark a question for review, go to the next or previous question. Once the first section ends you will be automatically taken to the second section.

The Section Loading feature is new in this year's CAT exam. At the start of each section you will see the Test Loading message. The section time will only begin when the loading has completed and the first question appears on the screen.

To review the questions you will have to click on the Review button. The Review screen will identify each question number and whether the question is marked, incomplete or complete. 
In the Review screen, you can review the questions which you have marked or left incomplete by clicking on the buttons Review marked and Review Incomplete. 

After completing the test and reviewing the questions, you will get the option to quit the test. When you click on the Quit Test button, a pop-up window will appear which will ask for your confirmation before quitting the test. The Quite Test option is available only in the Review Screen for section two.

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Who will bell the CAT 2012?

The CAT is a computer based exam that tests the examinees in quantitative ability, data interpretation, verbal ability and logical reasoning. The best business schools of our country, which are the various Indian Institute of Management, use the CAT as their yardstick in selecting students for their programs in the business administration courses. Students aspiring to graduate with a Management degree have to sit for the CAT Exam 2012 as the next program starts in 2012 and ends in 2014, being a two year course. The full form of CAT is Common Admission Test for which aspiring Management students appear for. 

The way to go about preparing for the CAT is to practice as many sample papers possible. CAT is usually held in the month of October-November and it will be the same for the CAT Exam 2012. It is bound to happen that one should feel more comfortable with one section of the paper than the other section, so make sure you practice the sections that you are able ace so that if you lose out marks on other sections, you can make up for it in the section that falls within your comfort zone. You should make it a point not to go overboard with your preparations, but at the same time do not get over confident or get indifferent about it.

It is advisable that you study regularly if you are serious about cracking the CAT. You may find out that working out and preparing alone for the CAT is a difficult task, as each section would need a special and different kind of approach to tackle it. Taking professional coaching classes definitely helps, but if not, the best help can be given by your teachers. So it is advisable for the aspirants of the CAT Exam 2012, that they start practicing from now.

One main thing to keep in mind, while sitting in the hall and writing your CAT is that you don't fall behind time and keep up with time. It is imminent that you complete the entire paper. Time management is an important and crucial issue because if you fall behind, you will create for yourself an unnecessary tense environment, so practice working against time. Also reading the newspapers and having an awareness of the occurrences around the world will help in the general knowledge section. So students taking the CAT Exam 2012 should keep the above points in mind.

Taking the mock tests is not the only answer; you have to have an in-depth analysis of the test so that you can have an idea as to where you are going wrong and where you should concentrate on improving. CAT is an exam that you cannot take by preparing for it in just one week, it takes at least four to six months of rigorous preparation, if not more to get a 98 percentile, which is usually the cut-offs for the IIM's. So, for the CAT Exam 2012 aspirants, it is time to buck up and start preparing.

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CAT exam- challenges and strategies

Common Admission Test (CAT) is an entrance exam conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). Through this exam students get the chance to take admission in world renowned IIM's to pursue their Post Graduate level Management Degree. On the basis of CAT score, the students can take admission in many other B-schools of India.

In the present competitive environment every organization, whether it is private or government, selects the employee on the basis of his skills and knowledge. The main purpose of conducting the competitive exams is to evaluate the candidate on the basis of his skills of understanding the concepts, sharpness of mind and knowledge. When it comes to competitive exams like CAT, the process becomes harder than it generally goes. For this purpose, the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) held common admission test for all the students aspiring for the career in business administration. This test is followed by Group Discussion and Personal Interviews. The institute conducts this exam to select the cream candidates among all. Here the question arises that how to prepare for CAT Exams. The candidates who study smartly are the winner of this game. 

Preparation of CAT Exams
First of all, students should find out their strengths and weaknesses and should try to convert their weaknesses into strength by working hard on their weak points. Collecting the study material from the coaching institutes, the students should start to study on a regular basis. 

They should not try to avoid coaching classes because they play a crucial role in organizing their study habit. Some students are good in managing their study time, but some are unable to go with a proper strategy. These kinds of students should immediately join the institutes and should try to be a good manager who can easily organize their study time in a good manner. Therefore, organized study is the primary factor to achieve the goal of getting through the CAT exams. 

The candidates should check the dates of examinations regularly in order to give equal attention to each subject. They should also believe in themselves and their abilities. When they take any task to perform they should not help themselves putting their hundred percent. 

Time management is also one of the most important skills that can help them in cracking the competitive exams. They should make a time table for each day and should study according to it. They exactly should record their weekly data and analyze their performance graphically. The candidates should have a command on each subject. The four main subjects are Quantitative Aptitude, Logical Reasoning, Comprehension Test and General Awareness. 

The most important thing is that they should regularly increase their knowledge by giving adequate attention to each subject. Well, a conceptual knowledge can be helpful in cracking the CAT exams. This can come only solving questions papers on their subjects at the regular interval. 

Other most important thing is that how they can sharp their mind because a sharp mind can easily clear these exams. The candidates should also solve sample papers as many as they can do because this trick can help them to run their mind fast and to reach them to their desiring goal. 

The students should have a habit of reading some good newspapers and novels. The best thing would be if they try to read those articles in newspapers that they hate reading in normal circumstances. This is because CAT is not going to giving their favorite passages. Without any doubt, English as Second Language reading is the best method to hone their English skills. 

On a final note, the candidates should not focus only on written examination. They should also enroll themselves in GD sessions keeping themselves updated with current affairs. The students, who do not want to join any coaching institute, can take help from any public forum offline or online for practicing GD and Interview sessions. 

The CAT exams do not seem to be hard nut to crack. The candidates can crack them, if they approach them with pre-planned planning and positive thinking.

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